These apps first launched in 2012, and now they’re spreading across campuses: they’re currently being used at nine universities and counting, mostly in the Washington, D.C. area.

USA TODAY College talked with Rachel Friedman, the deputy director of Men Can Stop Rape, about the apps and the story behind the project.

How did the ASK project come about? Who funded the project?

Men Can Stop Rape was founded in 1997. We originally launched U ASK DC in partnership with the D.C. mayor’s office. They were interested in using technology to communicate with college students. We’ve been funded by them for a long time, and they told us they were interested in college students having resources and different avenues that they can vary campus to campus. People started asking for something similar for the entire city.

What’s the central purpose of the app?

We want to get resources out there and make them as accessible as possible. This tool makes everyone equipped. It helps people to be prepared. Obviously, gender-­based violence is a horrible epidemic and the seriousness is palpable.

The app includes features that allow users to dial 911, seek advice or medical attention, and even alert friends. What else makes this the app students should download?

It has all of these crisis intervention resources, but the other thing is they’re created in close partnership with universities. The app provides before, during and after capabilities. Of course, we hope (sexual violence) never happens to us, but we really want everyone to download this. Even when students are out having fun, there are tools they can use to prevent sexual violence.

Men Can Stop Rape, a D.C. nonprofit, hosted the You Are Not Alone Conference in July 2016. (Photo: Men Can Stop Rape)

How can universities and colleges create their own version?

They can reach out to Men Can Stop Rape, and we can then work with them to figure out what type of content they want to include.

Looking ahead, what are the next steps for the team behind the ASK project?

We’ve had a lot of interest from places around the country. We have designed the technology so that there’s a lot of room for growth and so we can meet the needs of the community. Sexual violence may be an incident that happens once, but it can have a long­-term impact.

Brock Turner has been making headlines after spending only three months in jail. Many college students and people across the country think this was unfair for the victim, saying that Turner should have served more time, especially when mandatory minimums for other offenses such as distributing or selling drugs remain high. What did you and your organization make of the Brock Turner case?

I think what’s really challenging is there’s so much stigma around it. I, along with most people in the country, was very disturbed by what that man did, and at the same time the criminal justice system isn’t the course most take when it comes to sexual violence.

People understand it’s a big problem in our country. We have to find what justice looks like for our survivors. The criminal justice system is not providing that justice. As our awareness is raised, there has to be more emphasis on helping survivors heal.

Some universities and colleges are now requiring students to take a class or attend training that would help students become more aware of sexual assault and date rape. In fact, Tennessee legislators passed a law back in July that requires higher education institutions to give this type of training to their students. How effective do you think this new strategy will be?

These kinds of trainings are good. In terms of behavior change, that requires something more long­term. Men Can Stop Rape has had multiple opportunities to come on campuses to do trainings and workshops, leading to longer­ term results. It’s a great step for universities to start taking. The reality is that sexual violence isn’t limited to universities. The younger we start doing this work, the more impact we’re going to have.

Amanda Florian is a member of the USA TODAY College contributor network.

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